Wood Pellet bedding queries...

Fools Motto

Fools Motto

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I'm a newbie to the bedding, so finding things a little strange, and difficult at the mo. Well, TBH it isn't difficult per say, but with a yard of 15 on it, I'm finding it mighty time consuming. Most were on shavings and this I could breeze through, the straw beds I love, but only the foaling box is straw. I find it so easy and quick!
Anyway, those who use it - how do you rate it?
How often do you take wet patches out?
How ''picky'' are you that every droplet is picked up?
 
I have eight on straw pellets and I love them, it's quick and easy to muck out; I have one on straw which I now find a real pain to muck out and there's so much muck!

I take all the wet out every day as I suspect the damp bedding just might encourage soggy frogs!

I do like to remove all the 'droplets' I can.

I reckon the only downside, and it's not really a problem, is that the wet stuff is pretty heavy. Another advantage is that the straw pellet muck breaks down really quickly - a couple of weeks.
 
I'm afraid I hated wood pellets. Luckily a friend on my yard uses them and loves them and so is buying the rest of the pallet from me. I can't deal with how straw makes everything stink, so I went to the feed shop yesterday and bought the cheapest bedding they have (miscanthus) and will work my way up the prices until I find something cheaper than shavings which I like.

Wood pellets drove me insane - the bed never looked clean, I could not get all the little bits of dung out, and it was all, constantly, brown - even when dry. Yuck.
 
i leave the wet in for a week (unless there's a very obvious soggy patch)
muck droppings out, 4 horses, 1 (reasonable sized) barrow, 5 minutes each bed. then a bigger job once a week.
less trips to the muck heap, its great! though I have changed make/supplier, ive tried 3 and this latest one is working. before then I had 2 who trashed the beds and it went soggy too quickly:D
 
Lovescobs said:
ive tried 3 and this latest one is working. before then I had 2 who trashed the beds and it went soggy too quickly:D
Click to expand...

What pellets are you using now Lovescobs??

I have two on pellets. One wet out daily & one on semi deep litter. Find it much quicker, cheaper & nicer than any other bedding.

Foolsmotto - Which pellets are you using atm? Mine certainly arn`t brown & yucky but have used some in the past that were!!??
 
would agree with 'slightly foxed' straw pellets definitely the most cost effective pellet bedding on the market - no need to wet them unlike wood pellets and so.... absorbent. We have also recently tried miscanthus pellets - similar absorbancy to straw pellets but lighter in colour
 
I like wood pellets but YO has currently moved to elephant grass so at the moment I am buying the odd bag of pellets to use as a base and then elephant grass to make the banks and a layer over the pellets. It works really well as a bit fluffier than pellets and lighter to muck out. I brush back the top layer and take big wet clumps out every day.
 
I use shavings mixed with wood pellets. Ease of shavings but super absorbant so only take wet out as and when it needs.
 
I really rate my wood pellet bed, my gelding used to be terrible on straw, so dirty and smelly.

Took a while to establish a good bed, started by laying down 4 bags of whole pellets and 4 bags of soaked pellets and then used the not so wet and dirty to create banks. Took the really wet out every other day and used the not so wet for the banks. Added 3 bags a week. This took about 2 months to build up to a good bed.

Now, i skip out every day (i am quite particular and get out the little bits), takes me 10 minutes and i take out the wet patch twice a week, Tues & Sat, i do not disturb the banks or the rest of the bed (other than the wet patch). I put half a bag of whole pellets in the hole of the wet patch, cover with the bed, sprinkle with the remainder of the bag of pellet and then add on about a 1/4 bag of shavings (it lightens the bed and makes me feel better).

So, i use 2x bags of pellets a week approx £5 and 1/4 bag of shavings.

My boy is so clean on them, his stable smells fresh, no thrush at all (and he used to get it bad on straw) and he lies down properly every night, even has a good rub in on his face. My farrier said that it was the best bed for feet as it compacts in the hoof and draws moisture away from the frog.

I have a most amazing piece of kit as well, http://www.fynalite.co.uk/plastic_fork.html with the cage, literally gets every bit out.

Also, my stable is fully rubber matted.
 
I have two on five star professional and there are three others on the yard that are on it as well. It is by far the best we have used. Lovely fluffy light bed, it's easy to lift all even tiny bits of poo as I just skim the top inch, lift the shavings fork and sieve the bedding side to side rather than bump it. The bedding all falls through without breaking up the poo so purely poo goes on the muck heap and none is left in the bed.
Some makes do go a horrible colour, but these five star are awesome. I tend to use 1 bag one week and two the next to keep the bed a good 5 inches deep and dry. I take out the wee once a week. Leaving it in allows for better absorbtion so less bedding used.

I can get both stables looking fab in under 10 minutes easily and best thing is, it never smells of wee :-)
 
I have two on wood pellets, been using it a few months now and, even though I had my doubts to begin with, I am now hooked! :D
I take the poo out daily and any wet patches that have risen to the top and do a full muck out once a week.
It is so quick to do with very little bedding wasted. I put in maximum of 2 bags a week so works out cheap for me too.
 
I used wood pellets aout 3 years ago, first on my yard to use them. used them for a year and a half, grew to hate them as my mares were disgusting on it and it was seriously doing my back in. tried straw pellets, pretty much the same result so have gone back to shavings. Much lighter, bed looks nicer, same time to muck out!
 
I use Verdo pellets currently but have decided the way forward is to add Equichip, cheap, looks like elephant grass and this really makes the bed for me. It was looking fab today! Clean cos of the Equichip, fluffy cos of the pellets.
 
I converted 2 years ago....love them so does my horse....he tells me :) slice bag open throw a bucket of water in...do something else for 15 mins or however long and watch them fluff up huge. Lwp.
 
What pellets are you using now Lovescobs??

I have two on pellets. One wet out daily & one on semi deep litter. Find it much quicker, cheaper & nicer than any other bedding.

Foolsmotto - Which pellets are you using atm? Mine certainly arn`t brown & yucky but have used some in the past that were!!??

I used LWP last winter when on a livery yard and had no choice on the make. It wasn't too bad though my cob got a stain from the wood on his leg that I couldn't get out! (Wasn't wee stain it was from the wet wood, he kept weeing in one spot and then sleeping on it, however much fresh I put in that bit it still happened!) I've since moved and I'd say this winter has been wetter (my stables let a bit of water in from the bottom when the rain is really bad) I was going though 2-3 bags a week for my cob (used to be 1-2) and 2 for ponies (when I only needed 1 last year and one was on box rest then!) so I tried Verdo. Hated it, really dark beds went soggy quickly.
I'm now in my second week of fivestar premium (if that's the name of the more expensive one they do?) it's great! It's still expanding! I put 1 in to top up the pony bed after a week and today it looked twice the size! I'll probably only need 1/2 bag a week for her. I look after my friends mare who's been terrible bed wise, wet and messy. She's only needed 1 in to top up (been putting in 2 with the other brands and within 3 days it was really bad again) beds feel springy and dry but not dusty, and it's been throwing it down!
So far it's my favourite, in another month I'll know for sure.
 
£6 a bag for the Five Star Premium, strikes me as very expensive. The professional version is £3.72 same size. I wonder if there's a massive difference? Either way,I want a pallet.
 
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I use LWP and love them. Prob used about 18bags to fill a 12x13 stable with a 1.5m clear bit at the front. Built the bed over two weeks. Still on the same half pallet from Sept. Now I have banks. And also a compact layer that doesnt move about 3" deep. I take the wet out weekly or if it rises to the top. I cope with the hay bits and poo bits. Once a week I bring up the bed (except from the 3" base) and try and get out as much of the bits as I can (using Future Fork). And then add in a bag of soaked pellets. Wish I was brave enough to add in something like shavings etc but I dont think I am and I dont really have the storage either. Plus my OH said I no longer stink of mare p**s which I do if I muck out my friends straw bed now. For me and pony it works and the dirty colour I cope with. Think shavings looks the same when poo'd and pee'd one once or twice.
 
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Cinnamontoast

Their website has a demo of absorption including both their pellets and 'other brands'
I've not used their cheaper ones but with the £6 bag ones I'm using 1 bag a week and have a much nicer bed. The £4 bags of Verdo or LWP I needed 2 bags and the bed was no where near as nice. If u use the cheeper fivestar one I'd be really interested to see how you find it :-)
Maybe we should take photos every few days, like a woodpellet diary?! Though I'm sure someone did that once?
 
It's Verdo pellets that we are now using. Baring in mind this is for mares, and in foal mares as well as polo ponies. The ponies are fine, but the mares don't half make a mess. They are wet - lots of damp patches that you can't leave - even if it is to get the bed to settle and most do some form of box walking so all the poolets get scattered, hence the time it takes. I hate having to spend more time sifting, it feels like I'm forever mucking out! The boxes are 14x14, if that makes any difference!
 
Lovescobs said:
Cinnamontoast

Their website has a demo of absorption including both their pellets and 'other brands'
I've not used their cheaper ones but with the £6 bag ones I'm using 1 bag a week and have a much nicer bed. The £4 bags of Verdo or LWP I needed 2 bags and the bed was no where near as nice. If u use the cheeper fivestar one I'd be really interested to see how you find it :-)
Maybe we should take photos every few days, like a woodpellet diary?! Though I'm sure someone did that once?
Click to expand...

I did a photo thread as did milkmaid, I think.

If I have time today, I'll phone up but unless they do deliveries on the weekend, I'll need to wait til half term.
 
Love wood pellets and will repeat what has been stated on here many a time - oh how I wish people would do a search before asking the same question over and over ;-)

Cheap
Super fast
Uber Absorbent
Less wastage - smaller muck heap by a mile!

You must have rubber matting for a start, then I only put about 3 inches of bedding and small banks over half the stable - roughly 5 x 5m. I only take out the wet when it makes its way to the surface. I use about 4 bags a week (10kg). I use a aubiose fork to remove poo and stray hay.

I have a 15.3 IDx cob girl and she is a BIG girl and not overly clean either!

Basically wood pellets seem to have a marmite effect on people (love/hate) - if you are not overly bothered with making a nest for a non-nesting animal, you don't suffer with "my bed needs to be white" OCD and teeny bits of poo (smaller than the tines on your fork) don't bother you then this is defo the bed for you!!!
 
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